A Dog's Life
by katyrye
Summary: Hank's point of view.
1. Hank

Title: A dogs life.

Rated: T

Author: Me

A/N: Hello all! In case you haven't noticed, I have changed my name. This was one of my favorite and while I was reading it today, I noticed how out of shape it was. I want to dedicate this story to Jo and Ashley. I have added things and I have changed it up, because all of my stories are now being set in an San Francisco A/U. It is from Hank the dog's perspective of life with Sara and Grissom. I hope you enjoy this and please leave a review.- Katy

000

So, you want to know what life is like on my side of the fence? In order to do this I have to go back to the very beginning, to when I first met them….

It was an ordinary day, just like any other. I was living at Las Vegas Animal Shelter, and to tell you the truth I was ready to move on. I was housed in a cage that was big enough for me to turn around in, and I was fed twice a day by a man in a green uniform. Yep, life didn't get any lower than that. The smell in the room was over powering, and every time we had visitors the sound in the room was unbearable. When they first entered my life I was so busy trying escape the noise in the room, and I nearly missed them.

"What about a Golden Retriever?" I heard a female voice ask.

"_Golden Retrievers," _I thought. _"are a good family pet. Especially if you have children."_

"I'm not really in the mood to brush hair off of all my clothes, dear." a man said.

I heard the sounds of their footsteps drawing closer to my pen and curiosity made me pull my head out from under the blanket I was hiding my head under.

"Gil, what about a Corgi." the woman asked.

I saw a tall bearded man shake his head. "A Corgi will eat anything." he said.

The woman was pretty and had long brown hair; I could very well imagine myself snuggling up to her at night, but the man looked… not as friendly. He had a serious look on his face and by the way he escorted the woman named 'Dear' around the room, he looked a little territorial. The couple passed my pen and I let out a sigh, another day another pass up.

"I don't really see any like." the woman said.

"Well, we'll look at them again." the man replied to her.

I saw their feet stop at the pen of an old Dachshund and I rolled my eyes, doxie's thought the world revolved around them. The one in particular that they were looking at was grumpy old man named Scooter.

"Aww, Gil I think this one is adorable." the woman said, stooping down to peer in at Scooter.

I saw the man nod to her. "If that's the one you want." he said.

The man in the green suit, who usually fed me, opened the pen for the couple. I saw the woman stoop down the scoop old Scooter up, but before I could even blink he started in on a barking frenzy. The woman jumped back and Scooter just kept on growling and barking, he was often the brunt of our Animal Shelter humor.

"Umm… never mind." the woman said.

The man in the green suit pushed scooter back in the cage and slammed the door. That was one thing about this place, when you heard the door of a cage slam everyone heard it. The sound sent chills down your spine and to the tips of your paws.

"I could have warned them about old Scooter." said a Foxhound named Betsy.

I rolled my eyes. "People just think they're sweet because of their size." I replied.

The man and the woman peered into a few more cages and then the stopped at my doorstep. Having people look me over was a bit odd, I must admit. My breed was called American Boxer and people often took me for being rough or mean, but in actuality all us dogs need is a little love.

"Dear, what about this one." the man asked.

The woman walked over to stand next to the man and they both peered into my cage. I noticed that the man had the funny looking eyes that most wolves had, and the female had the soft brown eyes that belonged to a gentle retriever.

"Can we see this one?" the woman asked the man in green.

The man in green walked hurriedly over to my cage and slipped a leash around my neck. I had never been asked out of my pen before, so this was a real honor.

"He's beautiful!" the woman gasped as she bent over to scratch my ears.

"Hey guys," Betsy the Foxhound barked. "Hank's out!"

"Way to go Hank!" Bob, a English Bulldog, barked.

"Don't mess it up, you don't want to end up back here." Carl, a German Shepard, howled.

"Is there anything wrong with him?" the man asked.

The man in green read my chart and shook his head. "Nope, I feed him most days and he's never given me any problems." he said.

"Okay, well I think we like this one." the man said.

The woman, who had been patting my back, smiled at me. "Do you want to go home with us?" she asked.

"I do!" I barked.

"Way to go!" all the dogs in the room yelped.

"Take care Hank." Betsy said.

"I will Betsy and don't worry, you'll find a home too." I said.

As I was walked from the room, I remembered feeling a sense of loss. All the dogs in the kennel had been my friends, but I knew I was going to a new home.

000

Before I left for my new home I was inspected by a doctor, I really didn't care for the way he was looking between my legs like he was. Can a man have some dignity please?

"He appears healthy, but we need to give him a few shots just to be safe." the doctor said.

I sat on the cold table and watched as the doctor opened a drawer and pulled out a syringe. I immediately began to struggle, I wasn't a big fan of the needle.

"It's OK boy." the woman said, giving my head a pat.

The man came around to me to hold me still. "It'll be over soon." he said.

I turned my head away from the doctor and looked up at the woman, it was a known fact that the female species had a softer side and I thought that if I looked pitiful enough, she would stop this madness.

"It's alright." she soothed.

I felt the prick of the needle and if the man hadn't been holding me, I would have jumped right off the table.

"There, now we'll get his license for you and you'll be ready to go." the doctor said.

000

Before I knew it I was loaded into a car and we were off, driving down the highway. The man had lowered one of the windows for me and I was busy feeling the wind in my ears, boy was it good to be free.

"What's his name anyways?" the woman asked.

"They gave us information about him, it's in that manila envelope." the man answered.

I heard the woman gasp. "His name is Hank." she said.

"What's wrong with Hank?" the man asked.

"Hello? Hank the skank, I dated him four years ago." the woman said.

"Well, just think of it as name therapy. When you say Hank now, you'll see a furry dog." the man said.

"I guess." the woman said.

**a/n: Please review me so I can continue. Fun fact, my dog is nmaed scooter and I wrote that part about the mean doxie because he acts just like that.**


	2. New Home

Title: A dogs life.

Rated: T

Author: Me

A/N: Hello all! In case you haven't noticed, I have changed my name. This was one of my favorite and while I was reading it today, I noticed how out of shape it was. I want to dedicate this story to Jo and Ashley. I have added things and I have changed it up, because all of my stories are now being set in an San Francisco A/U. It is from Hank the dog's perspective of life with Sara and Grissom. I hope you enjoy this and please leave a review.- Katy

000

Before I knew it we had arrived home. The woman ( who I will now refer to as 'Dear') led me out of the car and into the house. The first thing I noticed about their home was the smell, it was very clean.

"Welcome home, Hank." Dear said, giving my head a pat.

"Okay, I'm going to go get some dog food and a few other things." the man ( who I will now refer to as 'Gil') said.

I watched as Gil showed Dear affection then he left. That was one odd thing about humans, when the showed affection the put their muzzles together and moved their lips, us canines just licked each other.

"Okay Hank, how about I show you around the place." Dear said, leading me down the stairs.

"That'll be great." I said, looking up at her.

"Well," she said, looking around the room. "this room is a little self explanatory. This is the kitchen."

I looked around the kitchen and sniffed the floor. "It's a very nice kitchen." I said.

Dear unhooked my leash and set it on one of the countertops. "There, now you can walk around." she said.

"So," I said, walking around the kitchen. "where do I sleep?"

"This is mine and Gil's room." she said, opening a door that led to a spacious bedroom.

I stepped into the room and sniffed the air. I could defiantly tell that this was their den, it had that particular scent that belonged to a male and his mate. Human's weren't aware of the smell because their noses aren't sensitive enough, but us canines have a sixth sense.

"We have a bathroom in here and this is where we'll be giving you your baths. I can't say for sure if you'll be sleeping in our bed. We work nights, so you'll be alone a lot." she said.

"I can take good care of the house." I said, sitting down.

"Aw," Dear said as she knelt down to pet me. "you're so cute. Why would somebody want to get rid of you?" she asked.

"Well," I said with a yawn. "It's a long story."

And that was no lie, it was a long story. I wasn't an old canine, to be honest I was only twenty-one ( or in human terms three years old)). I was born to a litter of pure bred Boxers and sold to an elderly woman as a watch dog. I am a perfectly trained gentleman, I attended classes for a number of years. Sadly, my former mistress passed away and I was turned into the animal shelter. I had been living at the shelter for a few months before Gil and Dear brought me home.

"Well, how about we go for a walk." Dear said with a smile.

"That'll be great." I said as I stood.

000

Walking around the neighborhood was fun for me, and it was good to get my territory marked before anyone else got any wise ideas. It's important for a male to mark his territory, you never know who might come sniffing around. My new home was an odd place, and was actually connected to a bunch of other homes. I heard talk of places like this and knew that it was called 'Apartment'.

"Isn't a nice day?" Dear asked as we strolled.

Indeed it was a nice day, the sun was shining and the wind was blowing just right. It was good to feel the sun on my fur, it had been a while since I had been out.

"It is beautiful." I said, looking back at her.

We came upon a park after a little while and Dear sat down on a bench. I took a seat next to her, I could tell then that she had something on her mind.

"What's wrong, Dear?" I asked, placing my chin on her knee.

Dear sighed. "We better get back." she said, standing.

000

Now here's another puzzling thing about humans, it's called 'Work'. Apparently humans need to work in order to exist, but I don't really understand it. Did it have to do with food? I know we rely on humans for food, and I have always wondered where they get it from.

"We'll be back." Dear said, giving me a kiss on the head.

Gil started to follow Dear out the door, but then stopped and turned back to me. "Don't crap all over the place." he said, shutting the door.

It was odd being in this new house by myself and I didn't know what do with all this new space. I walked back into their den and sniffed the bed, it smelled of a mixture of both their scents. I leaped onto the bed and sniffed around for a comfortable spot to stretch out. On the left side of the bed I found Dear's familiar scent and plopped down on the pillows. If I had to give humans any credit, it would have to be for the invention of the pillow. It was like laying down on a piece of 'Happy Hunting Ground'. I soon fell asleep, content with my life at last.

000

Dear came home while it was still dark and she looked exhausted. I looked around for Gil but he hadn't accompanied her, I could tell by the look on her face that she was used to coming home alone. I jumped up to meet her and waited until she was settled down on the bed before I dove in for affection.

"Hey boy," she said, patting the bed beside her.

"Welcome home, Dear." I said, jumping back onto the bed to settle down beside her.

"I haven't been having a good week." she said.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Why don't you tell me about it." I said, licking her hand.

Dear sighed. "I want to quit my job sometimes." she said.

From the tone of her voice, I figured this 'Job' had something to do with 'Work'. Can't you quit work if you didn't like it? It didn't make sense to me.

"Dear," I said, snuggling up to her. "I'll take care of you. You can eat from my dish any day."

Dear patted my head and sighed. "I'm glad we brought you home, it's good to come home to someone." she said.

"Me too, Dear." I sighed as we drifted off to sleep.


	3. New people

Title: A dogs life.

Rated: T

Author: Me

A/N: Hello all! In case you haven't noticed, I have changed my name. This was one of my favorite and while I was reading it today, I noticed how out of shape it was. I want to dedicate this story to Jo and Ashley. I have added things and I have changed it up, because all of my stories are now being set in an San Francisco A/U. It is from Hank the dog's perspective of life with Sara and Grissom. I hope you enjoy this and please leave a review.- Katy

000

I adapted to my new home fairly fast and soon I had Dear and Gil's routine down to a tee. I noticed almost immediately that Gil stayed at 'Work' longer than Dear did. Dear and I relished our quiet time together, because that was when we would take nature walks. I had my route all marked out, least any dog should wander into my territory. I also learned quickly that Gil wasn't as serious as I thought he was at first. When he was home from 'Work' , after his nap of course, he would sometimes wrestle with Dear. Now I may be canine, but I'm not an idiot. I knew that a male and his mate would more often than not couple with one another. It wasn't the wrestling that excited me, lord no. It was the fact that afterwards Gil would be so happy that he would make some delicious treat in the kitchen. Gil and I are carnivores and Dear is a herbivore, which makes since to me because I couldn't see my Dear eating an animal. If Gil prepared meat for himself, he always included me in his spoils. Oh he never left Dear out, don't think that for a moment. He always prepared Dear's meal first and brought it to her in their den., and it usually consisted of lettuce or some disgusting herbivore food.

"That steak smells disgusting," Dear would say. "I can't believe you let my baby eat animals."

"I can't eat that rabbit food," I said looking in Dears direction. "besides, your food smells horrible too."

"We're men, Dear," Gil said, agreeing with me. "we need meat."

No matter what Gil and Dear said to one another, I have never seen them fight. I don't think any one could love each other more than Dear and Gil. Nobody.

000

Let me give you two words that are the key to any mans heart, 'Belly Rub'. There is nothing in this world like a good belly rub to put you in a good mood, nothing relaxes a man more. Today was the first day Dear had rubbed my belly, I know it sounds like no big deal, or as some of the cubs would say 'No Biggie', but they are the next best invention next to the pillow.

"Do you like that?" Dear asked in that high pitched voice that makes me wiggle my hindquarters.

"Oh, I like it very much." I replied, kicking my hind leg.

"Whose a good Boy?" she asked, scratching her nails up my sides. "Hank. Hank is a good boy."

That, my friends, is another set of words any man wants to here. When a man is told that he is a 'Bad Boy' or 'Bad Dog', it breaks their hearts. Us canines don't do anything intentionally to be bad, it's just that sometimes we can get into mischief. For an example, when I lived in my previous home (before the shelter) I would sometimes be attracted to the smell of the trash can. It wasn't that I dug into it to be mean, I really couldn't help myself.

"I'm home, Dear." Gil said, opening the door.

Suddenly all rubbing and scratching stopped and Dear stood up and walked over to Gil.

"Dear," I said as I stood. "we were kind of in the middle of something."

"Well, I took it." she said.

"Dear," I said as I sat. "it's not polite to take things from people."

Dear and Gil ignored my remarks and carried their discussion into the kitchen.

"Well, what did it say?" Gil asked.

Dear sighed. "It was negative." she said.

I cocked my head to the side, it was a really strange situation. If Dear took something from Gil, shouldn't he be upset. However on the other paw, this thing was negative. I watched as Gil hugged Dear and sighed.

"Maybe someday, he said. "but we're not ready right now."

Between you and me, humans can do or say the most peculiar things to one another. What weren't they ready for? Will I ever find out? And why did cats get boxes to do their business in when we don't?

000

"Dear," I said as I nuzzled her. "tell me what's wrong."

"Not now, boy." she said, pushing me back gently.

Dear rolled on her side and continued to cry. I didn't know what to do, she wouldn't tell me what was upsetting her. I tried to wait until Gil got home so he could help her, but he never came. I figured he was at 'Work' still, but when I looked outside the window I noticed that it was almost night again, something was wrong with Gil.

"Dear, I'm sure he's just at work." I said, licking her arm.

Dear rubbed my head and sighed. "I wish you could understand me." she said.

"I do understand you, Dear. You're my human." I said.

Dear sighed and sat up. "I have to go into work. I don't want to be there without him, and I'm not to crazy about this new guy." she said.

"Don't worry Dear," I said as I nuzzled her again. "Gil wouldn't let anything happen to you. I wouldn't either."

"At least I have you." she said.

"You'll always have me, Dear." I barked.

000

Dear and I waited for what seemed like weeks until Gil finally came home, but when he did things seemed to change. It was at that point that I met all their friends.

"Hello there," a yellow haired woman said to me. "I didn't know you had a dog, Gil."

Gil shrugged. "I heard that people live longer when they have a pet." he said.

I walked over to sit next to Dear and looked up at her. "They're acting like you and Gil aren't mates." I said.

"Gil's dog seems to really like you Sara." a big haired man said to Dear.

Dear shrugged. "I guess animals are drawn to me." she said, petting me.

The whole time we had company Dear and Gil never acknowledged one another, and I was afraid they were mad. However, when our guests left I learned that Gil and Dear were hiding the fact that they were mates.

"I really hate not telling anybody," Dear said. "I wish it were easier."

"I wish it were too, Dear." Gil replied.

Life as human didn't seem very fair to me, and I was thankful I was born a canine. Canines could sleep all day and mate with whomever they pleased. I think that if Gil told his friends how much he loved Dear, then they were sure to understand.


	4. Strange Things

Title: A dogs life.

Rated: T

Author: Me

A/N: Hello all! In case you haven't noticed, I have changed my name. This was one of my favorite and while I was reading it today, I noticed how out of shape it was. I want to dedicate this story to Jo and Ashley. I have added things and I have changed it up, because all of my stories are now being set in an San Francisco A/U. It is from Hank the dog's perspective of life with Sara and Grissom. I hope you enjoy this and please leave a review.- Katy

000

It was around this time that Gil began to play with his toys. They started to come to the door ( delivered by my enemy… the UPS man) about once a week and Gil would hurry with it to his desk.

"What's in the box?" I asked, jumping up for a better look.

"Down boy." he said.

Whenever Gil had a free moment he would play with his toys. Odd smells started to come from his desk and Dear called it 'Glue'. I had a feeling that Dear was getting a bit jealous over Gil's toys, I could tell by the expression on her face whenever she came near it.

"Gil, I think your taking this too far." Dear said, pointing towards the stack of toys.

Gil held up his hand. "I'm just trying to look at this case from another perspective, Dear." he said.

Dear sighed. "Well, put it away and lets go somewhere to eat. We hardly get time off together." she said.

Gil nodded. "I guess I should take a break…" I heard as they walked into their den.

I took this moment to hop up and take a closer look and what I saw was interesting. I looked like one of the offices back at the shelter, except it was shrunken until it was as small as one my toenails. It still smelled of 'Glue' and I could tell it wasn't finished.

"Hank, down." Gil said, stepping back into the kitchen.

I heard Dear giggle as she walked towards me. "He thinks it's weird too." she said, rubbing my head.

000

From there, things began t change. Gil would spend most of time playing with his tiny office, while Dear and I took our walks or watched television. In all honesty I have to say that my favorite show is _The Simpsons. _

"Gil, come and watch television with me." Dear called.

I heard Gil sigh. "I'll be in there in a minute." he said.

Dear picked up the remote control and changed the channel. I watched as Bart Simpson disappeared and Godzilla appeared.

"I was watching that." I whined, looking back at her.

"Gil, they have a Godzilla movie on." Dear said.

Dear got up off the bed for a moment and returned with a cup of yogurt for her and a treat for me. I guess she felt bad about changing my channel and brought me a snack. Soon Gil appeared and sat down beside me to watch as the monster on television attacked a city.

"Are you two alright?" I asked looking back at them.

This is a question I had been wondering for a while. Ever since Gil had started playing with his toys I could feel the tension between my humans. I always thought that no two humans loved each other more, but now I was nervous.

000

My nervousness proved to be true when Dear came home angry one day, much more so than I have ever seen. She ignored me as she ran inside and barricaded herself in her den. I waited for Gil to follow her a few hours later, but he didn't return. Finally, Dear emerged in her robe.

"The nerve," she said to herself, fling the door to the food box open.

"What's wrong, Dear?" I asked.

"I'm not taking this. I don't care what he does. He can kiss my ass." she continued.

The sound of her flinging cabinets open and banging things made me anxious. I trotted into the living room area and waited on the couch for her to relax.

"I'm not answering the phone." she said before slamming her door.

Gil came home a few hours later and I was relieved. He looked exhausted and he smelled like he needed a shower. Actually, he really needed a shower.

"Gil, you smell horrible." I said, sneezing.

Dear heard him come home and stormed out of her den. I prepared myself for a horrible argument, I could almost feel the electricity in the air.

"Listen, we need to talk about this." Gil started.

I watched Dear's face and her expression turned from anger to pain in a matter of minutes. I've heard that female humans were often directed by their emotions and seeing Dear's face almost made me tear up.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about. You made it clear that you didn't want me to know where you were." she said.

"You know that there's nothing between Heather and I." Gil said, walking down the small staircase towards Dear.

Dear shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? You never talk about her, you keep yourself so hidden from me now that I don't know you anymore." she said, attempting to walk back into the den.

Gil grasped her by the arm. "You know who I am. I've never hurt you and I never will. She needed someone to be there. She's my friend, but you're my life." he said.

"Just let me go! I just want to sleep. I'm exhausted because I've been at work and not at some dominatrix house." she said, pulling away from him.

Gil released Dears arm and hurried into her den. I could read Gil's expression perfectly and could see pain as well as confusion. To say weather he was confused about Dear or this Heather character, I don't know, but I do know that I wasn't prepared for the turn my life was about to take

000

On a rainy Tuesday night, weeks after the argument, I got a horrible feeling. It was a feeling that I had never felt before and it scared me. I kept thinking that something horrible had happened to Dear.

"Gil would never let anyone hurt Dear." I sighed as I laid back on the bed.

The feeling never left and It grew worse when Dear didn't arrive home at her usual time. I began to pace the house and soon I started to howl.

"Dear!" I called.

Night came again, but Dear didn't. Finally when dawn approached the next morning I heard the door open and I bolted out of the room to fin a mass of people in my living room.

"What are you doing here!? Get out!!" I barked.

"Hank, calm down." Gil said.

At the sound of Gil's voice I quieted myself. I spotted Dear amongst the group of people and yipped.

"Dear, Dear I've been so worried," I said, running up to her.

"Sorry, boy. She has to lie down." Gil said, grabbing my collar and leading me outside.

When the door shut I ran to the bedroom window. I had a better view there than I did at any other window.

"Here, just lie down." I heard the yellow-haired woman say.

Gil helped Dear lay on her back and that was when I noticed the scratches. Dear looked lke she had been in a fight and looked horrible.

"Can I bring you something?" Gil asked, bending down.

I saw Dear shake her head and watched as the spiky-haired one brought her a drink ( actually his hair wasn't so spiky anymore)..

"We'll be in the kitchen. Call me if you want anything," Gil said.

When the group of people left the room Gil opened the back door and let me into the house. I rushed up to the door that led to the den, but it was shut.

"Gil, you could have trusted us with this." the yellow-haired woman said.

Gil shook his head. "Apparently, I couldn't trust even me."

000

I wasn't allowed to visit Dear for days. She didn't go to work for a while, and that would have pleased me if I was able to spend time with her. Gil kept the door shut all the time and only went in there to feed Dear, help her bathe, or sleep. Finally, after what seemed like ages, I was allowed to see her. Gil led me in by my collar and I struggled to get away when I saw Dear sitting up and smiling.

"Hey, you!" she said, patting the bed.

I jumped up onto the bed and quickly started exploring her with my nose. Her skin was hot to the touch and she smelled of some kind of lotion. Her hair felt different, it felt rough and dry. On her arm was a strange box of some kind and she looked exhausted.

"Are you thirsty?" Gil asked, sitting down on the bed.

Dear shook her head and hugged my neck. "I'm tired of being in bed." she said.

"You had a heat stroke. We have to be careful for a little while." Gil said.

Dear nodded. "Freezing at night, but hot in the day time. The desert can be tricky. I hate it." Dear said.

Gil sighed. "Everyone knows about us now. I think we should talk about working different shifts." he said.

Dear nodded. "I figured that would happen." she said.

"I think you should stay on with the team and let me go to swing. We'll still see each other at work and we'll be able to avoid any… work-relate repercussions. " he explained.

Dear shook her head. "Gil, I can't do that to the team." she said.

Gil held up his hand. "It's best, Dear. You need to stay with them. You need them." he said.

I watched as Gil showed Dear affection and I smiled, I don't know exactly what happened to Dear. But I do know that Gil loved her.


	5. Terrible Times

Wow, how long has it been for this story. Way too long is the answer. Sorry for being so slow.

000

O

For the next two weeks, Dear and I spent as much time together as we could. True we didn't go out much, but she was sure to let me out into the yard to do my business. I missed our walks, especially at the times that the sprinklers came on. Night after Night, Gil left for work and Dear and I ate yogurt and anything else we could find. Dear also bought me a new rubber ball that squeaked. We spent hours tossing the ball back and fourth in the house, but Dear would play outside. .Gil was also more affectionate with her. He would bring her flowers and candy every day.

"You're not getting out much," Gil commented one day.

"No she isn't," I panted.

Dear sighed. "It's just so dry and dead outside. I just want to keep cool," she replied.

Gil gave a nod and at first glance seemed satisfied with her answer, but I new him too well. Every dog knew their human like the back of their paw. Gil was a thinker, I knew that when he wasn't talking he was thinking. Dear was a thinker too, but she was emotional.

"Dear," I said as I brought her my new ball. "lets play."

"You're going to have to go back to work tomorrow, Dear. I don't like the thought of you taking swing shift," Gil said.

I dropped my ball. I have heard of these things called 'swings' before. They were at the park where I went to play. If Dear worked with swings, then surely she would be happy. Because after all, I never heard of someone saying that they didn't like swings.

"I'll be fine, honey." Dear said. "I just need to start seeing if I can do things without leaning one someone."

"_Honey?"_ I thought as I tilted my head.

Had Dear changed Gil's name to Honey now, or was it a so called 'pet name'. It was a fact that Dear called me 'Baby' sometimes, but Gil sure didn't taste like to me. And why would Dear lean on someone, she walked fine to me. Maybe she had arthritis in her legs like some older canines got. I will have to remind Gil to take her to the vet.

"You need to be around your friends," Gil said.

"I know," Dear replied. "I'll always be around when you guys are there and I'll have this chance to make new friends."

Gil nodded again and didn't say another word about. Looking baa\ck I wish he had stopped her from working on swings. Dear was sicker than I had thought.

000

O

For a while Dear slept a lot, and if she wasn't sleeping she was at work with the swings. I was alone more often now, but I bounded with excitement when my humans came home. More often, Dear would come home alone. That was fine with me, because she was my favorite.

"Dear," I said as I brought her my ball. "give it a toss!"

Dear would squeeze the ball ( making that delicious squeak) and throw the ball into the kitchen I bounded after it and tackled it under the kitchen table. .It was after one of these days that the rain came. Rain was always soothing to Dear, but right now she was curled up on the bed. Her body was rocking and her eyes were closed.

"Not again, not again, not again…" she muttered over and over.

I dropped the ball and padded over to the bed. I had never seen a human act like this and I didn't know what to do. I nuzzled her arm, but she wouldn't budge. There was a crash of lightning outside and Dear covered her head.

"Dear, it's only rain," I said as I wagged my tail.

I traced all these problems back to the day that Dear didn't come home. In my mind, Dear had always been gentle and easy-going. That 's why she was my favorite.

"Sara," Gil said, calling her by his pet name for her.

Gil hurried into the bedroom and noticed Dear on the bed. He hurried over to her and put his arms around her. I was glad he was there, he would know what to do.

"Dear, it'll be over in a minute. Just think of something else. Pretend you and I are away somewhere. We'll go to a beach somewhere and talk Hank for walks on the beach," he said to her.

I leapt up on the bed and smiled down at Dear. "That sounds great," I said.

"Just imagine you're not here," Gil said to her..

This part of my life was the beginning of the most terrible time. Everyone went through pain after that day, because Dear was never better. However, she was still Dear.

000

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Rain came again after that and so did the little orange bottles. Dear called the medicine, but I called them trouble. She took one before she went to sleep every day and from then on we stopped playing. When Gil came home from work, Dear didn't greet him. Gil didn't seemed to worried about it. All he would do was lie down beside her and sleep. Dear soon got to where she would forget to let me out, and I would be force to relieve myself on the floor. She scolded me for it, but I didn't know what else to do.

"I'm sorry, Dear," I said as she cleaned my mess up.

The crying came after the 'medicine' and I wanted to knocked down every orange bottle and chew them up. I wanted my old Dear back, not this Dear who seemed to be gone all the time. Finally, there came a day when Dear didn't come home. I saw her off the work, but I didn't see her back through the door. It was the strangest thing. For hours I waited and for hours nothing. No Gil, no sitter, and no yellow-haired woman. Finally, a very tired and sad Gil walked into the house.

"Gil," I barked. "thank goodness. Dear is missing!"

Gil didn't listen to me. He only sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. Did he know she was gone? All my senses told me that he did, and that he was grieving her.

"Did I do it?" I asked.

Gil didn't answer. Instead he kicked off his shoes and lay back on the couch. Reader_,_ let me just say that Gil didn't sleep in the den for a long time.


End file.
